Pinellas Heights Senior Apartments contains the 1,000th property certified Florida Water Star℠ by the District.
The 153-unit senior living community in Largo pushes the exact count to 1,048 certifications and is the first Florida Water Star community in Pinellas County. That means the entire complex met the requirements of the certification program by installing water-efficient fixtures, appliances and landscaping.
Florida Water Star is a voluntary certification program for builders, developers and homeowners. It encourages water efficiency in appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes.
Pinellas Heights worked with Two Trails, Inc., a third-party sustainable building consultant and certifier. Hiring an experienced third-party certifier means that an independent company verifies that the complex meets the requirements of the Florida Water Star certification.
“Achieving Florida Water Star certification not only helps save on water use and utility costs, but also provides a unique commitment that sets Pinellas Heights Senior Apartments apart from other communities,” said Drew Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Two Trails, Inc.
Pinellas Heights uses 40 percent less irrigation water annually than permitted, a reduction of about 900,000 gallons of water per year. They did that using water-efficient irrigation, composed primarily of low-volume or micro-irrigation. The landscape also includes drought-tolerant plants that use less water, pesticides and herbicides.
Also, all of the units and common areas have reinforced water supply lines, low-flow toilets and high-efficiency faucets and showerheads. Plus, the common areas have ENERGY STAR® clothes washers.
Robin Grantham, the District’s Florida Water Star coordinator, said the certification of more than 1,000 homes demonstrates that more and more builders are committed to both water-efficient building standards and high-quality products and craftsmanship.
“The ultimate goal is that building to save and protect water resources will become the standard in the building industry,” she said.
Visit FloridaWaterStar.com to learn more about the Florida Water Star program.